Knitwear Tech Pack Template: 12 Fields You Can Copy

What are the 12 fields in a knitwear tech pack template?

A knitwear tech pack template is 12 fields on one page: style and version, size range, fabric and GSM, colourways, measurement chart, construction, neck and cuff build, decoration, labels, packing, test requirement, approval record. Fill each row once, and a factory can quote and sample without sending back a list of questions. Copy the table, replace the values.

Field	What to fill in	Example entry
1. Style name and version	Searchable code, version raised on every change	FT-HOOD-01, v1.0 — 320 gsm French terry hoodie
2. Size range and grading	Base size, size run, increment per point	S–XXL, base size M, chest graded 5 cm per size
3. Fabric and GSM	Knit, fibre content, weight, mill reference	320 gsm French terry, 100% cotton, loopback reverse
4. Colourways and lab dips	Colour name, reference, dips approved	Black 19-4007 TCX, 1 lab dip approved per colour
5. Measurement chart	Point, tape position, flat size, tolerance	Chest 58 cm flat at M, 2.5 cm below armhole, ±1 cm
6. Construction and seams	Seam type, stitch density, allowance	4-thread overlock, 12 stitches per 3 cm, 1 cm allowance
7. Neck, cuff and hem build	Rib type, band height, shoulder tape, hem	2×2 rib neckband 2.5 cm, self-fabric cuffs, taped back neck
8. Decoration and placement	Method, colour count, size, position	1-colour water-based print, 18 cm wide, 7 cm below neck seam
9. Labels and trims	Main label, care label wording, hangtag, trims	Woven label centre back neck, care label in left side seam
10. Packing	Fold, polybag, size sticker, carton mark	Flat fold, 1 piece per polybag, 30 pcs per carton
11. Test or compliance requirement	Standard, shrinkage, market labelling rule	100% inspection, accepted to AQL 2.5, 3% shrinkage after 3 washes
12. Approval record	Approved version, date, signatory, file location	v1.0 signed by buyer, dated PDF filed with this version

Fields 1 to 4 decide what is made, 5 to 8 how it is built, 9 to 12 what leaves the factory. What a blank one costs you is set out in the hoodie tech pack field guide.

How do you fill the style, size, fabric and colour fields?

Style and version. Raise the version whenever a value changes; a file named after three rounds of edits is how a sample room builds last month’s spec.

Size range and grading. Give the increment, not just the run. Base size M graded 5 cm per size tells a pattern maker more than S–XXL does, and grading drives the marker, so it drives fabric use.

Fabric and GSM. Name the knit, fibre, weight in gsm and a mill reference. 320 gsm French terry and 400 gsm brushed fleece are different garments sharing one shape; write only “fleece” and the factory picks the weight. Fleece vs French terry compares the numbers; hoodie fabric runs 240–550 GSM.

Colourways and lab dips. One line per colour with a reference someone can mix to. A small colour change is invisible on paper and obvious across 500 pcs.

How do you build a measurement chart the factory can grade from?

One row per point, with the tape position beside the number. Chest is flat, 2.5 cm below the armhole. Body length runs from the high point of the shoulder, not the collar seam. Sleeve length and neck width need the same treatment.

State the unit once — cm for knitwear — and the tolerance per point. On a flat chest at 320 gsm, ±1 cm is normal for jersey; tighter needs a reason, because tighter means more rejected pieces at inspection. This row is also the cutting instruction, so a 1 cm error repeats on every piece — see cutting and sewing.

How do you specify construction, seams, and the neck, cuff and hem build?

Name the seam, stitch density and allowance: 4-thread overlock at sides, 12 stitches per 3 cm, 1 cm allowance, coverstitch 2 cm at the hem. “Good stitching” cannot be checked on an inspection table; a stitch count can.

For neck, cuff and hem, write rib type, band height, stretch direction and whether the cuff is rib or self-fabric. A 2.5 cm rib neckband with taped back neck behaves differently after 3 washes from a self-fabric band, and a buyer sees that first. Bonded builds belong here too, with tape width, because they are quoted as their own style.

How do you specify decoration placement so it lands where you want?

Four things per decoration: method, colour count, finished size, and position measured from a seam that does not move. Method is screen print, embroidery, heat transfer or DTF. Colour count sets how many screens or threads are prepared. Size is width and height in cm on the finished garment. Position comes off the back neck seam, never “centred on the chest”.

A usable entry: one-colour water-based print, 18 cm wide, 7 cm below the back neck seam, artwork FT-HOOD-01-print-v2.ai.

Which labels, trims and packing details need their own line?

Labels and trims. Main label position, weave or print, fold type; care label wording and language, which is a market rule rather than a design choice; hangtag and its attachment; drawcord, eyelets, zipper, thread matched to fabric.

Packing. Fold, polybag rule, size sticker, pieces per carton, carton mark. “Flat fold, 30 pcs per carton at 320 gsm, 40 pcs per carton in 400 gsm fleece” lets a warehouse receive the shipment without opening every carton.

What test or compliance line should the tech pack carry?

This row states the standard the goods are judged against: the inspection rule, shrinkage after your stated number of washes, any labelling rule your market enforces, and who arranges third-party testing.

Bulk runs through 100% inspection, accepted to AQL 2.5, with results reported back; the method is on the quality control page. A test added after sampling can change the fabric choice, so name it at quoting stage.

What is the approval record for, and who signs it?

The last row settles arguments: which sample version was approved, the date, who signed, where the signed copy and photos are filed. Tie it to the version code in row one, so a later change becomes a new version with its own approval.

Why does one style need one tech pack, and when does it become a new one?

One style, one tech pack, one version history. Never run one document across two orders: the second inherits the first’s edits.

Start a new tech pack when the fabric, its GSM or fibre content changes; when the fit or block changes; when the build moves from sewn to bonded; or when grading is rebuilt. A new colour in the same fabric is not a new tech pack — it is the same page with one more lab dip.

That has a commercial consequence, because MOQ is 100 pcs per style, per colour — quantity is counted both ways:

• One style, one colour: 100 pcs minimum
• One style, four colours: 400 pcs in total, as four minimums of 100 pcs
• Two fabrics on one shape: two styles, so 2 x 100 pcs
• Bonded or seam-sealed build: 200 pcs per style, per colour

If the first order is small, design around that rule: planning a first order around MOQ starts with the fabric row, and how a 100 piece order runs covers the process.

How long does sampling take once the tech pack is sent?

3–7 working days to first sample, counted from the day the tech pack and the lab dip are both confirmed, not the day you emailed. A tech pack with no approved lab dip is a waiting file: the sample room cannot cut a colour it does not hold.

Bulk then takes 15–25 days after sample approval and deposit, on a line running 150,000–200,000 pcs per month. Build the plan backwards: 3–7 working days of sampling, 15–25 days of production, then transit, using the production lead time calculator.

What does a complete tech pack let a factory answer without asking you?

When all 12 rows carry a number or a reference, these answer themselves:

• Which fabric to book, at what weight, in how many colours
• Which seams, stitch density and allowance to set
• Which trims and labels to source, in what quantity
• Which standard the bulk is inspected against

Blank rows become questions, and questions become a slower quotation. If you would rather build the document with us, that is the ODM half of the business — the split is in OEM vs ODM clothing manufacturing.

Send the completed table through the contact page and the reply comes back as a quotation rather than a question list.

What do buyers ask most about knitwear tech packs?

Can I make a tech pack without a designer?

Yes. Take a garment you like, measure it flat at the points above, note the fabric weight and seam types, add your artwork file, and a pattern maker can turn it into a graded spec. Leave out the tolerance or the tape position and nobody can guess them for you.

Can I send the template as an Excel file?

Yes, and it is the easier format for a first draft: one row per field, one tab for the measurement chart. Send a PDF of the same file too, so approved figures stay frozen when cells are edited. Name both with the style code and version.

Does the tech pack have to be in English?

English is the safe default for a factory in China, and our sample room works from English documents. If your team works in another language, put both columns side by side rather than sending two files. One photo per field clears up most ambiguity.

What units should the measurement chart use?

Centimetres, taken flat, with the tape position beside the number. Add inches in a second column if your team needs it, but keep one unit as the master so nothing is converted twice. Grading increments are a fixed number of cm per size.

How many colours can one tech pack cover?

All colourways of that style, with one lab dip and one approved shade per colour. Colour is not a new version of the style, so the field set stays as it is. Quantity works differently: MOQ is 100 pcs per style, per colour, so five colours means five minimums of 100 pcs.

Do I need a new tech pack if I change the fabric?

Yes, even when the shape stays identical. A 300 gsm loopback and a 400 gsm brushed fleece shrink and drape differently, so measurements and construction notes have to be re-checked. Copy the old file, raise the version, rewrite the fabric and seam rows, then sample before bulk.